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thursday , november 10, 2011

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a SQUARE GETS HIP

o passersby, it is a jumble of tents and blue tarps, the iconic symbol of the displaced, the temporary, the makeshift. Set against the orderly but dull architectural backdrop of McPherson Square, the Occupy D.C. encampment is a low-slung and seemingly haphazard arrangement. But it has made this sleepy public space, used mainly by office workers and a few residents of nearby luxury condominiums, one of the busiest public squares in Washington. To use the argot of urbanism, the protesters who installed themselves at McPherson Square on Oct. 1 (and another group that has occupied Freedom Plaza a few blocks away) have done what so many planners, designers and architects strive for but fail to achieve: They have activated the urban core. Whether the Occupy movement, which has taken over

In Gen. McPhersons park, the Occupy D.C. encampment improvises a vibrant urbanism
BY

P HILIP K ENNICOTT

On washingtonpost.com
View video, interactive graphics and photos from Occupy D.C. at washingtonpost.com/style.

More inside
Food, medicine, newspapers and books all in one spot. C6 Tent cities arent new, but the energy here is different. C8

parks in cities across the country, fizzles or grows, whether it has resonance and can translate its message into concrete change, are political questions. But looked at solely as an aesthetic and cultural phenomenon, it has deep roots in ideas with established pedigrees in the world of art and architecture. Its anti-consumerist ethos, its impatience with the media and its love of theatrical intervention in city life make it a direct heir of the Situationists, a radical European avant-garde collective begun in the late 1950s with ideas that remain influential today. It might also be considered a living exercise in do-ityourself (or DIY) urbanism, a trendy movement that strives to engage ordinary people in a hands-on approach to shaping and claiming public space. And it seems a perfect fit with an exhibition, The occupy continued on C6

CONVERSATION
Pulitzer nominee Joan Didion talks about how the pain of personal losses fuels her writing. C3

BOOK WORLD
Umberto Ecos The Prague Cemetery is challenging, but in unexpected ways. C3

THE TV COLUMN
The Oscars telecast is in upheaval after its emcee quits on the heels of its exec-producer resigning. C4

OBITUARIES
Family Circus creator Bil Keane dies at 89. B7 Rapper Heavy D is dead at 44. B7

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